14 | Letters To the editor There’s much more to sugar imports The accelerated speed and overenthusiasm the government has in licensing mass importation of cheap sugar into the country is absolutely frightening, terrifying, suspect and, above all, does not have the best interests of sugar farmers and Kenyans in general at heart. It is being done as local sugar millers confirm that they, indeed, have adequate stocks to satisfy the country’s immediate demands. From the look of things, there is much more to this mass importation of sugar than meets the eye as most sugar importers are top politicians and key financiers of past elections. Enock Onsando, Mombasa. Murang’a ought to review water project The Northern Collector Tunnel water project in Murang’a owned by the Athi Water Services Board (AWSB) is expected to deliver 140,000 cubic metres of water per day to Nairobi and its satellite towns. But Murang’a residents are afraid it will create a water deficit downstream of the extraction points – Irati, Maragwa and Gikigie rivers. They suspect that ASWB has underestimated the current and future water needs of the county and also the steady flow necessary for the river’s ecosystems to thrive. There is no support for spreading water scarcity from Nairobi to Murang’a. Paul M. Kimani, civil engineer, Seattle, Washington, US. Kalonzo, Wetang’ula are mistaken Some politicians live in dreamland. Mr Kalonzo Musyoka told us that Cord partners had signed an agreement on who from the coalition will vie for the presidency in 2017. And a section of leaders in his Ukambani backyard have said that he risks being politically irrelevant if he fails to secure the presidential ticket. Mr Moses Wetang’ula is on record as saying Cord will conduct a nomination to pick its flagbearer and he stands a good chance of being chosen. But the truth is that only Mr Raila Odinga will be accepted by his followers who believe that without him at the top, Cord and Okoa Kenya will not exist. Kimani wa Njuguna, Gatundu South. Thirty Years Ago January 25, 1985 Residents of Western Prov- ince who provided land for the construction of Mumias Sugar Company (MSC) have appealed to their local administration to help them obtain title deeds for their new plots. Mumias Member of Parliament Elon Wameyo (left) said ownership of land occupied by most of the people had not been legalised. He stated that MSC produces about half of the country’s sugar needs and those who created room for its construction should be assisted. Supporting the legislator on the land issue, Mr Martin Shikuku, the assistant minister for Environment and Natural TALKING POINT Kenyan security forces should borrow a leaf from the French in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo shooting are swiftness and adeptness at responding to attacks – as exhibited by the French security personnel. The speed at which French T security forces responded to the situation clearly demonstrates that French security agencies are thoroughly organised and ever ready to respond to the plight of their citizens within the shortest time possible. Here in Kenya, we continu- ously witness horrendous acts of Al-Shabaab, bandits and other criminal gangs, which result in the loss of lives, wanton destruction of property and displacement of citizens. The current spate of inse- curity threatens to erode the country’s potential as an investment destination. The list of negative effects is long and the end to these atrocities might not be in sight as long as the prospect of having organised and depoliticised security agencies remains dim. The hallmarks of a working security system are efficiency and effectiveness, which are often defined by the ability of officers to move fast to quell trouble. As a matter of fact, the capacity to protect citizens is one of the all-time fundamental assumptions underlying state legitimacy. In other words, a KENZO TRIBOUILLARD | AFP Members of the French national police intervention group prepare their gear near the site of a shooting in Montrouge on January 8. government qualifies to be termed legitimate only if it can guarantee safety to its citizens and take steps to make the enjoyment of their right to life a practical human right. Otherwise what would be the reason for citizens to elect or establish a government and even pay taxes to it if it is unable to take care of their wellbeing? The actions, rather, inac- tions, of our country’s security system have compelled many Kenyans on a number of occasions to doubt the legitimacy of their government. Gangs have stormed villages and towns for consecutive days, killed people and destroyed property worth millions of shillings yet they still roam the streets as free men. The recent French experience serves as a good example for Kenya. The European country’s security personnel displayed patriotism, competence and commitment in guaranteeing security to every citizen. This is exactly what Kenya’s security system needs: proper organisation, coordination, competence, patriotism and commitment to duty by its officers. However, in order to emulate the French example and make this a reality, the Kenya Government needs to rethink its strategy on how to tackle insecurity, restore trust among citizens and recapture the fast-ebbing tide of public confidence. Nyandoro Kambi. Rule of law did not survive independence Sunday Nation columnist Sunny Bindra, nimbly using the example of the humbling of Korean Air executive Cho Hyun-ah, would like Kenyans to ensure that “no person should be greater than the nation”. Sadly, he concludes, “We’ re some way off. But we’ll get there”. I fear I see little cause for optimism. Mr Fergal Gaynor, the lawyer representing the victims of the 2007-2008 post-election violence at the ICC, has been, as Sunday Nation columnist George Kegoro informs us, “a brave, brilliant, and thoughtful representative of the victims”. He continues: “There was nothing within his powers he did not try to do to advance the interest of his clients.” We all know why he failed to get justice for them, but many, like another Sunday Nation columnist Otieno Otieno, love to put the blame for all our ills on the poisoned chalice we were apparently handed by the outgoing colonial government: “divide-and-rule” policy. There was no country called Kenya before the British came, wo important lessons that have stood out for Kenya’s security forces SUNDAY NATION January 25, 2015 The editor welcomes brief letters on topical issues. Send them through email to sundaynation@ke.nationmedia.com. You can also address them to The Editor, Sunday Nation, P O Box 49010, Nairobi 00100. Letters may be edited for clarity, space or legal considerations. The Cutting Edge BY THE WATCHMAN NOT OKAY: Something is not quite right when President Uhuru Kenyatta has to complain in public and issue threats against top officials who have failed to properly discharge their duties, Isaac Tarus says. According to him, Mr Kenyatta should read the riot act to them in Cabinet meetings, assign them duties and follow up on progress. On the Lang’ata land grab, he states, he should not have been asking what the officials have been doing since last December. “The buck stops with you, Mr President!” Tarus says. His email address is iktaruskogo@yahoo.com. SOME ARE DIFFERENT: Not all police officers are like the sadists who tear-gassed children at Lang’ata Road Primary School in Nairobi, Festus Mbuimwe says. A day after the incident, Festus reports, he went to the Kenya Revenue Authority headquarters at Times Tower and was impressed by the conduct of a burly officer. “He politely admonished a fellow who tried to jump the queue, telling him to line up like the rest,” Mbuimwe states. “Let’s acknowledge good officers when we see some.” His email address is fmbuimwe@gmail.com. APPRECIATE ACTIVISTS: Bosco Gicheo says he wonders how many people remember “the golden days when Kenyans selflessly championed the rights of the weak ...” The current crop of activists, he claims, appear only motivated by selfish gain. However, he observes, there are a few exceptions who, for standing up against the excesses of the government and its functionaries, are always being asked who funds them. “Let’s be grateful to those who stood with the Lang’ata school pupils,” Gicheo says. His email address is bgicheo@yahoo.com. FOUNTAIN PEN NUISANCE: Since his daughter was promoted to Standard Four, James Njuru says he has been watching helplessly as she struggles to write with a fountain pen. He states: “Her good handwriting, painstakingly developed from baby class, has all but disappeared, leaving cancellations, stains and ineligible marks in what used to be neat homework books. Is there any scientifically proven reason why they use fountain pens instead of switching from pencils to ballpoint pens?” Njuru’s email address is njuruh@yahoo.com. PUT AN END TO THIS: The illegal car wash bays so there was nothing for them to divide or rule. It was an empty space on the map populated by warring tribesmen, many of whom were used by Arab slave raiders to carry elephant tusks to the coast. This was soon brought to an end by the wicked British who did their best to bring some harmony and order among various tribes. The truth is that the British introduced the rule of law in Kenya, but it did not survive independence. R.A. Massie-Blomfield. Compiled by Augustine Nyagah Resources, lamented the lack of proper settlement for people who had made a sacrifice for a factory that had boosted the country’s economy. Dr Wameyo praised MSC for improving living standards in the area. He asked the company’s management to stop importing cane cutters and instead use local labour. sprouting in Nairobi may be of use to motorists but are wreaking havoc on roads, Diana D’Souza says. She explains: “They do not only destroy tarmac roads, but also add to the filth that has been increasing day by day”. Ms D’Souza accuses Governor Evans Kidero and his team of being too slow in responding to this. The nuisance, she states, has “simply gone out of control” along Mugumo Road in Lavington. Her email address is diana@encompas.co.ke. UNFORTUNATE ACT: Quite saddening, Ruth Gi- tuma says, is the Communications Authority of Kenya’s cancellation of the licences of three top media houses. Ms Gituma says the regulator is supposed to be nonpartisan in dealing with a copyright dispute. She asks: “Who is behind StarTimes and GOtv to warrant protection at the expense of NTV, KTN and Citizen who have invested billions in the industry? I sincerely hope this has nothing to do with the security laws passed last year?” Her email address is rgitum@gmail.com. CAR POOLING: Car pooling is part of the solution to traffic jams in Nairobi, Benjamin Ashuma, who has been using Thika Road since the reduction of fuel prices started, says. He reports that there are now too many cars on the road, that most of the private ones have only the driver and a passenger, “and yet these motorists are headed in the same direction or sometimes to the same office”. Ashuma asks: “Why can’t Kenyans, in the spirit of Nyumba Kumi, learn to trust one another and also share transport?” His email address is xbenjy@gmail.com. Have a sensible day, won’t you! watchman@ke.nationmedia.com; PO Box 49010, Nairobi 00100 Fax: (20) 2213946